Contact with a police officer often is a young person's introduction to the juvenile justice system. Law enforcement's role with youthful offenders -- boys and girls under 18 -- is particularly challenging because federal law protects young people who commit serious crimes and encourages their return to the community. The other challenge for police is juveniles commit a disproportionate number of offenses compared to their population.

Court Referrals

Police officers generally bring in or summon young offenders to the police department's juvenile division and question, fingerprint, book and, if necessary, detain them. At the time of an arrest, officers decide whether to refer young offenders to juvenile court or to route these cases out of the justice system. Police account for most referrals to juvenile court. According to the U.S. Justice Department, 83 percent of court referrals came from law enforcement agents in 2009. Parents, schools, crime victims and probation officers made the remaining referrals. In the same year, police departments handled and released 22 percent of all juveniles arrested. By contrast, the police referred 70 percent of all young offenders to juvenile court. Under federal law, officers who detain young offenders must keep them secure while in custody and for a period of no more than six hours. Juvenile arrest procedures differ across police departments. .

Status Offenses

Police officers handle noncriminal behavior -- known as status offenses -- involving juveniles. Skipping school, running away from home and violating curfews are status offenses. Police also intervene in non-delinquent cases in which youngsters are reported missing or believed to have been abused or neglected. Officers investigate these situations by interviewing the alleged victims, their parents or guardians, school officials and others associated with the victims. Police departments often have crime units dedicated to juvenile matters.

Protective Service

Police are charged with protecting the public from crime and general mayhem. For juveniles, police protection might call for removing children from an abusive home or transporting them to a shelter or hospital if they've been abandoned. Officers are usually the first on the scene when a child is left home alone, locked inside a car during extreme hot or cold weather conditions or not strapped into a car seat as required for infants or toddlers. In some districts, police patrol the halls of public schools, especially in high-crime areas, to deter disturbances that put youngsters at risk of becoming either victims or violators.

Education

Police officers sometimes partner with education officials and teachers to deter criminal behavior among youngsters. Officers visit classrooms as invited guests to warn students about the consequences of taking and selling drugs, as well as talking to or walking away with strangers who might want to harm them.

Arrest Alternatives

Arrest and detention aren't the only choices police offer juvenile offenders. Sometimes police bring young offenders in for questioning, give them a warning and release them to a parent or guardian. In other cases, police place a juvenile under police supervision for a period of time. Officers occasionally refer juveniles to a Big Brothers/Big Sisters program, a youth services bureau, a mental health facility or a social service agency for runaways. When officers refer young offenders to juvenile court, probation officers take over these cases.

Training

Community leaders in some states recognize that police officers need training to work with a growing population of juvenile offenders. The International Association of Chiefs of Police survey, “2011 Juvenile Justice Training Needs Assessment,” shows that police chiefs generally want officers to learn the skills needed to work more effectively with young offenders, but often lack the funds and resources for training. The survey cites the top five areas in which police need training as substance abuse; bullying, including cyber-bullying; gang activity; sexual, physical and emotional abuse; and chronic criminal behavior. The survey also cited training in school safety, Internet offenses and handling runaways as a need for police officers.

About the Author

Valerie Bolden-Barrett is a writer, editor and communication consultant specializing in best business practices, public policy, personal finance and career development. She is a former senior editor of national business publications covering management and finance, employment law, human resources, career development, and workplace issues and trends.